


The Book of Misery

by CommitmentIssues



Category: Overlord - Maruyama Kugane & Related Fandoms
Genre: Being your friends conscience because his has suddenly disappeared, Evolving Tags, F/F, F/M, M/M, Multiple Relationships, slowburn?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-11-08
Packaged: 2020-07-31 14:48:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20116837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CommitmentIssues/pseuds/CommitmentIssues
Summary: Best friends Suzuki Satoru and Amani Suuja end up trapped in their old avatars and transported to a new world unfamiliar to them, it... goes downhill from there.





	1. The End of the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my dumbass forgot to replace the placeholder name for my OC (Yunya Lyuna/Yunya) with her actual name (Nemesis/Nemu) because I'm an idiot! Sorry...
> 
> Edited 11/7/19 - Grammar, spelling, overall clean-up.

Today was the end. Yggdrasil servers are shutting down and all that, but I’m not sad. The guild’s been dead for ages now, and if it weren’t for Momonga I would’ve been out of here long ago as well... 

But he’s my best friend, and I couldn’t just leave him here by himself. God knows he would've stayed here, all by himself, until the end if I didn’t. 

He visibly perks up as I enter the room, lifting his head from his hands. “Nemu, you’re here! But… you just missed HeroHero…” He said sadly. 

I raised my scaled brow, flicking my fan open across my smiling face. “Really?” I said, feigning interest. “Too bad. I would’ve liked to have kicked him around a bit one last time.” 

“You’re too mean, Nemu.” Momonga accused, not really meaning it. He stood suddenly, walking across the meeting room. 

His goal was obvious, what with the only thing over there being the {Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown}, the guild weapon. The thing is practically Momonga’s baby, even though he never used it in combat. I mean, there was a good reason for that fact, but still.

Grabbing the staff he does a one-eighty, returning to me and offering up an arm. “Shall we make for the throne room, my Queen?” He asks in a fake deep voice. I laugh, snapping my fan shut and tucking it into my obi, taking his arm.

“Of course, my King. We shall watch the end of the world together, yes?” It’s been a long time since we’ve done any kind of role-playing like this, I’m rusty and a little embarrassed, but it sure does bring back memories…

* * *

_ “My Lady,” a robed skeleton said, in a bad, obviously fake deep voice. “You’re unharmed? Pray, tell me if you are injured.” I wondered why he was talking like that, but then I didn’t really care. He’d saved me from being PK’d again, that’s all that mattered, right? So what if the guy was off his meds… _

_ But I played along, that’s what I was supposed to do, right? “I… I’m fine, sir mage. Thank you for saving me.” That’s… what I was supposed to say, right?! Ugh, this is embarrassing! _

_ The skeleton man held out a hand, “My Lady, forgive me for this rude question, but aren’t you a Gorgon?” He seemed pleased with my nod. “Wonderful! My Lady, I ask that you join me and my fellows. We’re creating a clan just for people like you and me, we can protect each other and grow strong together. What say you?” _

_ He was very strange, yes, but also very kind, maybe even a little funny. And hey! Strength in numbers, right? It’s not like I have any friends to play with anyways… So, yeah, I took his boney hand. “I’d love to, sir mage.” _

_ He beamed. “I am Momonga, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady..?” _

_ “Ah… Nemesis. It’s nice to meet you, Sir Momonga.” _

* * *

That was, what? A decade ago? It’s been so long… And we came so far. It all meant nothing, in the end, since everything is going to be destroyed.

“What are you going to do after all this, Nemu?” Momonga asks quietly, and I can tell he’s sad, probably scared too, and who could blame him? This game has been his life for so long, to him it must seem like the world truly is ending. How could I be his friend and  _ not  _ worry about him?

“Satoru,” I said, dropping any and all pretenses, completely serious. He pulled back a bit, in shock I think. 

I took a breath. “I live in Alaska, you know?” I started. “I know you’re not happy in Japan, so I want you to seriously consider coming to Alaska. Come live with me, I can get you a job with my company, and my house has an extra room, you can stay with me.”

“Amani.” He stops me. “Last I checked, immigration is closed to America.” He points out.

I looked away, shuffling my feet. Is it hot in here? “That wouldn’t matter if we were married.” I rushed out.

He makes a choked sound and looks at me. “Amani Suuja, you did not just say that. Mani, you’re gay, I’m gay, it would never work.” He says in the ‘I can’t believe I have to say this’ kind of way.

I huff and jab him in the ribs, literally. “ _ Suzuki Satoru _ ,” I said back. “We’ve been married in-game for nine years. We don’t have to be  _ married  _ married. It’s just a piece of paper that lets you come live in America. You’re gonna die before you’re forty if you stay where you are. Alaska is the least polluted state, has the least amount of permanent residents, we have jobs, good ones, here in America. Just… think about it, okay?” I nearly begged. Hey, I have every right to be  _ concerned _ , I mean, between his living conditions and the fact that the game that has been his life for over a decade is shutting down, I give it a month before he offs himself.

I’ll be damned if I’m just going to sit by and not even  _ try _ .

He sighs, shaking his head. “I’ll… Think about it. Let’s just enjoy the last day of Yggdrasil, alright?”

I sigh, my eyes stinging with tears that weren’t there. “Alright. Now…” I grip his arm even tighter and dragged him into the throne room.

I suddenly noticed that, at some point, he’d ordered the Pleiades to follow us. Geez, when did he even do that? Sneaky Skeletor. 

The throne room was as dark and eerie as I remember it, the perfect atmosphere for a guild such as ours, I have to say. The floor gleamed softly of Polished Dark Celestial Marble, while the chandeliers were made from Darkfire Elemental Sprites. The ceiling was lined with the crests of every guild member, and at the head of the room, on a slightly raised dais, was the two-person version of the Throne of Kings.

I took my seat and Momo joined me shortly thereafter, after dismissing the combat maids. At the same time, Momonga and I noticed Tabula’s child, Albedo, still standing where he left her.

“Hey, hey, Momo,” I said leaning over into his seat a bit. “Tabs made her, right? I wonder what her settings are, I’ve never looked!” It was a cheap attempt at a distraction from the situation, but Momonga went along with it.

“I’ve never checked either… Well, let’s have a look…” He said, swiping his finger at nothing I could see, and a few seconds later a burst of laughter escaped him, “It’s so long!”

“Well! What’s it say? Tell me, don’t make me wait!” I smack him with my fan, causing massive damage.

“Okay, okay! It’s really specific about a lot of things, but the gist of it is that’s she’s very beautiful and dedicated to her duties, but that she’s secretly a bitch.”

I gasped dramatically. “A bitch? What?! How could tabs do something like that to such a pretty face!” I said dramatically. Actually, it’s perfectly in character for someone like Tabula, I honestly wouldn’t expect anything less from him. 

Still. “Change it!” I demanded. 

Momonga looked at me, head tilted and playful, “Change it? To what?” He said, teasing.

I huffed, grinning. “I don’t know, um, oh! Make it say something like ‘I love Momonga’ or something.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah.”

“You know what? Fine.” He said, flicking and then typing away at nothing. “She’s deeply in love with Momonga. There, you happy?” 

“Immensely.” I beamed.

He laughed, “That’s good then.”

I stare off into nothing, the minutes ticking down, and my mind wanders. I miss the others. I hate the others. They left us, left me, knowing how important they were to me, my friends who I thought of as family. What even happened? It wasn’t like one day they all just stopped talking to us, but somewhere along the way the meetings and messages and calls just became less and less until, before I even knew it, they were gone.

I miss those bastards, even Ulbert’s cute stupid goaty face.

“I don’t know,” Momonga said suddenly. “I always thought Ulbert’s face was more creepy than cute.” He said, a grin in his tone.

Heat rushed to my face, unseen in the virtual world.

Did I just say that out loud? “Oh my god, shut up.” I hiss instead. He had the audacity to laugh at me.

I blink when I realize we only have a minute left here, in this world. Momonga notices too because he gets quiet, too.

“Hey, Momo, it was fun, wasn’t it?” I say, voice quiet, throat tight, and unbidden and unseen tears falling down my cheeks. 

For years I’ve felt like I was trapped here because Momonga couldn’t move on, but now that I’ll finally be free… I’m not as happy as I thought I’d be, you know?

“It was…” He replies, equally quiet. He grabs my hand. “I want to come live with you in America. It’s a better deal than just staying here.” He says, glowing red eyes looking at me emotionlessly.

“Are you sure?” I ask, shocked. He wouldn’t say something like that just to take it back, right?

“Yeah.” He says, more certain. 

I beam. “Okay. We’ll talk about it in the morning, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

It was fun, a ton of fun. At times it felt like a waste but in the end, I came out with a decade worth of memories and a best friend. Not bad, I’d say.

23:59:55

23:59:56

23:59:57

23:59:58

23:59:59

Goodbye Yggdrasil. Goodbye, Ainz Ooal Gown. It was fun, tons of fun...


	2. To the New World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/7/19 - Grammar, spelling, overall clean-up.

00:00:00

00:00:01

00:00:02

00:00:03

“Did the devs push back shut down?” Momonga asks, swiping at the air. I try the same, but my console doesn’t come up.

“Hey... Momo, my console won’t come up..?”

“...Mine neither.” He says, and we look at each other.

“Lord Momonga? Lady Nemesis? Is something the matter?” A… sultry(?) voice asks, and I snap my eyes to look at Albedo. Did she just speak words?!

“Eh, uh, w-what?” I manage to spit out despite my shock. 

Her  _ brows crease _ with concern and her  _ lips move _ as she speaks. “Lady Nemesis? What’s wrong, my Lady?! Please! Tell me, I wish to help!” Albedo begs, leaning down, her boobs jiggling ever closer.

“Ahaha.” I laugh nervously my face flushing red as I flicked my fan open to cover my embarrassment. “No, no, darling, nothing’s wrong!” I said cheerfully as I leaned into Momonga’s space, pressing my cheek against his boney one. 

“Hey, Momo,” I whispered behind the cover of my fan. “Yeah...  _ what the fuck is going on _ ? Am I high? Have I been drugged? What timeline is this?”

Unmoving, staring straight ahead, he said, “I don’t know.” I giggled hysterically as I sat back in my seat, the fan still covering my face, a million thoughts racing through my mind, but none of them clear.

Was shutting down the servers a lie? Is this just a major content update? Moving faces, NPC’s talking, feeling… actual heat and cold, it all feels so real… No. No way, this violates at least three major virtual reality limitation laws. Not a chance. This is hell, the Gear fried our brains and we’re  _ dead  _ and this is  _ hell  _ and that’s why I’m  _ panicking _ !

“Sebas,” Momonga said, jolting me back to the  _ here  _ and  _ now _ .

“My Lord.” Sebas stepped forward, seeming eager to obey.

“Sebas, step out of the tomb, confirm our surroundings.”

“By your command, my lord, I will return.” He said, bowing to Momonga. Then, inexplicably, he turned to me and bowed again, “My Lady.”

The mists of uncertainty and fear faded and everything became clear. Lowering my fan, I smiled at him. “Be careful, dear. Come back to us safe.” I told him. If Momonga can remain calm and act normal in a situation like this then, by god, I can too.

“Pleiades,” He continued. “Go to the ninth floor, should any outsiders attempt to pass you, eliminate them.”

“At once, my Lord. My Lady.” They said as one, and in unison bowed before leaving. The only one that remained was Albedo, who was staring very expectantly at Momonga.

After a moment of thought, and I could feel him smirking, he said, “As for you, Albedo… Climb into Nemu's lap.”

Ha… WHAT.

“I beg your pardon? Momonga, I will  _ end you. _ ” I hissed furiously. My hair hissed too. Oh, oh, sweet Jesus, I’m a Gorgon with snakes for hair.

For a brief moment, I wanted to cry, but I couldn’t allow my resolve to crumble So! Ignoring  _ that _ , I had much more pressing matters, and when I say matters I mean boobs, giant, bouncy boobs pressing into my face. I felt  _ faint _ .

“Oh my, Albedo, darling,  _ dear  _ would you mind letting me breathe ?” I asked sweetly, turning my head and glaring bodily harm at Momonga. The snakes on my head writhed angrily.

“Ah, a thousand apologies Lady Nemesis… Is this better?” She asked ‘innocently’ as she arched her back, propping her breasts up on display literal centimeters from my face.

My face was on fire as I giggled hysterically. “Mm yup! But you know what would be better? Darling, will you do me a favor?” I asked, my voice at least three octaves higher than it should be. Gee, it is  _ so  _ hot in here.

“Of course! Anything my Lady!” Albedo agreed instantly, her face dusted with a blush. Was she enjoying this??

“I need you to go and check on the rest of the Floor Guardians. Yes, and while you’re at it, tell them there will be a meeting on floor… lets say, Floor Six, in the Amphitheatrum. In two hours. Oh, but leave Floor Guardian Gargantuan and Floor Guardian Victim... You will do this for me, won’t you?”

“I will! Immediately! I am but a lowly servant, but I will perform at my utmost best for you, my Lady, forever and always! Thank you for making me useful!” She said, her face red, and bowing lowly. And just like that she was gone and out the door, leaving me panting and flushed.

“My oh my, My Queen, should I be worried~?” Momonga asked teasingly.

“Yeah you should, FUCKER! ” I screeched, aiming my fan point-blank at his face “ ** _{Fiendish Fire!}_ ** ” I snarled.

**BOOM!**

Momonga rolled across the floor, robes slightly singed. The second he stopped rolling he raised a hand defensively in front of himself, and said, “Okay, I deserved that! But I had a good reason, I swear, please don’t kill me!”

I hissed. “I don’t care what your reason was, do that again and I’ll shove my chanclas up your ass!” I said, ripping a black lacquered okobo sandal off my foot, the bell within jingling sweetly, and waving it aggressively in the air.

“I won’t do it again! I’m sorry!” He wailed, holding a hand up and scooting across the floor away from me.

I huffed, though thoroughly satisfied with his reaction. “Hey, I noticed something,” I said, slipping my sandal back on. “Your voice is way deeper, and I don’t mean like when you’re in character. What’s up with that?”

Momonga paused in thought, his eyes glinting. Literally. I was noticing a lot of things actually, things that I wouldn’t if we were still playing Yggdrasil or any other DMMO for that matter.

Things like the fact that Albedo smelled like my favorite candle that they stopped producing five years ago, or that the throne room is frigid cold, and that’s coming from someone who's lived in Alaska their whole life. Or that my hair is actually, literally, a bunch of living snakes. I suppose it’s a good thing I’m not my sister and that I love snakes.

After a moment of thought, Momonga replied, “Your voice is different too, it’s more… I don’t want to say feminine, because that makes it sound like it wasn’t before and that’s not true…” Momonga said, finally picking himself off the ground. “Oh, and it’s a lot more… hissy? I don’t know how to describe it.” He explained, adjusting his robes, that were noticeably not singed anymore.

I sighed heavily, sliding down in the throne. “Might have something to do with the fact that my hair is alive and I can feel my mouth. I have fangs Momonga,  _ fangs _ .” None of this was a function in Yggdrasil. There’s no way this is some kind of error, errors don’t… do this.

“Yeah, and scales. Wings too.” He stated, looking at me. “Are you… feeling okay?” He asks me.

Everything clicks into place. “Am I okay? Momonga, you’re a walking skeleton! Are  _ you  _ okay?!” I realized, staggering up out of my seat and rushing to him. It’s only due to years of walking in heels that I don’t fall on my face immediately, but I do stumble pretty hard, and fall into his arms.

Tears in my eyes, actual tears, I look up at him and say, “Momo, I think something terrible has happened. You’re… This is real, isn’t it?” I ask, my voice cracking and tears running down my face, breathing is suddenly difficult as I start crying in earnest.

“It’s okay Nemu. Everything will be alright, you don’t need to cry…” Momonga whispered comfortingly into my delicately scaled ears.

“Momo I have snakes for hair! Living fucking venomous cobras attached to my head!! I have bat wings… and, and snake eyes!!” My heart hurt, beating so fast I felt like my chest would explode, my head was full of cotton and my face was wet.

“Amani!” Momonga shouted sternly. “I know you’re scared, but you need to calm down! You’re going to hurt yourself.”

“I’m hideous Momo! And you’re… you’re a skeleton.” I whispered, eyes wide in horror.

“Don’t you dare say that about yourself, that's the kind of shit those self-righteous human-only players would say, and it’s not true. You’re just different. It’ll be okay.” Momonga was so quick to reassure me. He stood, pulling me up with him. “Now, we need to figure out what’s going on, okay?”

How can he be so calm? This whole situation is… terrible! Unimaginable! And yet… he was right, now is not the time to be having a mental breakdown. We could be in danger here, after all.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re right,” I said, wiping away tears, trying not to mess up my make-up. “Just give me a moment to pull up my big girl panties.” Momonga let out a startled laugh and I realized that I said that out loud, but I didn’t have the energy to be embarrassed.

Momonga walked over to where the guild weapon had been discarded, it floated in the air, spinning endlessly. “I wanted to test the {Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown}. I also wanted to see if we could still use magic…”

I looked at him oddly. “But Momo, we can.” I reminded him.

“What do you… Ah. Right.” Even without a face, he looked sheepish. He really forgot, didn’t he? “Do you remember how you did it?”

“Hm… Well, I was really angry, and I just wanted to set you on fire so bad… I just focused on the concept of fire so hard, and then I remembered the spell and I just did the thing…” I said, thinking back on the moment. “I was certain it would work, you know, because I thought we were still in Yggdrasil.”

Momonga hummed, nodding. “Well, let’s go see if you can still do that now that you’re aware.” He said, holding his arm out for me to take. “Shall we, my Queen?”

Still trying to make me feel better, huh? I smiled, certain I looked even worse with my puffy eyes. “Why, of course, my King. Lead the way.”

He nodded, pulling me closer. “ **{Greater Teleportation!}** ”

!!! And just like that, we disappeared from the throne room.


	3. Battle Strategy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My internet gets shut off in three minutes I hope you enjoy!!!!
> 
> Edited 11/7/19 - Grammar, spelling, overall clean-up.

“Please tell me the next time you’re going to do that, my heart almost dropped out of my butt,” I told him, winded and completely serious. Somehow, Momonga had actually managed to teleport us to the entrance of the Ampititheatrum without killing us. 

Hurray! I’m gonna be sick.

“You know what you are? Dramatic.” Momonga replied as he leads me out into the openness of the arena. “If I had told you you would have just gotten yourself worked up. You’re fine.”

I smacked him hard with the bladed side of my fan. Jerk.

“Dramatic~”

“You know what? Shut up!” I hissed at him as we reached the stadium floor. The arena was well-lit, which was a good thing because it was pitch black out. Not that it would have mattered much, with these eyes of mine…

As I stared out across the empty arena I felt the weight of anxiety settle over me. I didn’t want people to see me like this… I didn’t want to be here! What was I thinking?!

I looked at Momonga, how was he so calm? Whatever he’s doing, I can’t. My chest hurt and I was dizzy, fighting the urge to vomit.

‘Fake it till you make it, Amani! The world isn’t going to wait for you to feel better, it sucks and it’s not fair, but life isn’t fair, we all have to learn that. Now, get up and get to work!’ My mother’s harsh words bounced around my skull. She was right, of course, time stopped for no one and I can’t hesitate, not here. 

I looked out across the open arena, taking a deep breath. I am a Queen here, I rule this place. A level one hundred player, a guildmaster of the legendary Ainz Ooal Gown guild. In the real world, I was a dancer, a caregiver, and a manager, I know how to deal with people, how to talk to them, and I know how to give orders. All I have to do is stay in character. I took a breath.

And then I let it out. “Hm… Bukubuku’s children guard this floor, right? Where are they?” I wondered aloud. “Little Aura! Little Mare! Come out here my dears!” I called out. On command, a dark-skinned child in a suit, unmistakably the elder sister Aura, launched herself into the air with quite a bit of skill and landed on the Ampitithaetrum ground with ease.

She sprinted up to Momonga and me, dropping into a bow. “Lady Nemesis! Lord Momonga, we’re honored to have you here with us!” She declared, beaming up at us. I smiled at her enthusiasm, fears, and insecurities forgotten. After all, this is one of my dear friends’ creations, practically her daughter, that’s what she was, right? Her daughter? Yeah... that’s right.

“Hello, Aura, dear, how are you? Where’s your brother? I haven’t seen the two of you in so long.”

“My brother..?” She looked behind her and snarled. “MARE! What do you think you’re doing?! You’re being so rude! Get down here now!” She demanded, fire in her eyes.

Mare shyly peeked over the ledge that Aura had jumped down from. “B-but! Sis, I’m scared… Come on…”

Aura didn’t like that answer and was getting ready to yell back. I stopped her, placing my hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay,” I said, walking past her. “I’ll get him. Why don’t the two of you have a chat while I do?” I didn’t wait for their answer as I quickly walked over to below the ledge, with as much grace as I could muster, considering I’ve never worn okobo sandals for real before.

I craned my neck to see him, his mismatched eyes staring at me with fear. He thinks he’s in trouble, doesn’t he? “Mare, darling, you’re not in trouble. You remember me, don’t you? I was there when Bukubuku made you and your sister… Please come down, I want to see you!” I said, as cheerfully as I could without sounding weird. After several ticks I became worried that it didn’t work, but then…

“O-okay! I’m coming down…” Jackpot! I took a few steps back, giving him space as he gently dropped down. Once he was on the ground he adjusted his skirt nervously, eyeing me warily. That blasted skirt… I told Bukubuku it was weird, but she didn’t care! Poor baby…

“Hello, Mare. Come, your sister and my dear King are waiting for us.” I said, patting his head with a smile. 

He smiled back shyly, following a step behind me. “Y-yes, Lady Nemesis.”

“Geez, Mare. I can’t believe you made Lady Nemesis go get you, completely hopeless.” She said, shaking her head once we were closer.

“It’s fine, Aura, don’t be so hard on your brother, you know he’s trying his best,” I told her gently. 

“Now, as for the reason we’re here. Guardian Aura, Guardian Mare, we will not trespass overlong, we simply wish to run some… tests.” Momonga says, a dark aura seeping off of him. For a moment, I felt like I was being hunted. Normally, the feeling would have alarmed me, but I felt… excited? I shuddered, that thought scared me more, something wasn’t right but I don’t have the time to focus on it right now.

Unfazed by his ominous presence and unaware of my internal plight, the twins were quick to correct him. “No Guardian of the Great Tomb of Nazarick would ever think any Supreme Being as an intruder! It would be blasphemy! Please, stay as long as you wish, we are honored to have you here Lord Mononga, Lady Nemesis.” Aura explained with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen, nothing fake about it.

Ugh, she’s so earnest and cute, it should be illegal.

With a delicate smile that I hid behind my fan, I said, “Thank you, Aura. Your loyalty pleases both myself and my dear King, I’m sure.” I looked pointedly at said ‘king’.

“Of course this pleases me!” He tried, in his obviously fake role-playing voice. I wanted to slap myself, Momonga,  _ no _ .

“Aha! Just a moment, darlings, we’ll be just a minute! Momonga. ” I said, stalking away,  _ gracefully _ .

“What did I do this time?” He asked sulkily once I was certain we were out of earshot.

I sighed pinching the bridge of my nose, “I don’t know if you were listening but Aura, who is now moving and talking on her own, just called us ‘Supreme Beings’. They think we’re gods, Momonga. So we need to act like it.” I said, jabbing my fan in his direction.

After a moment, Momonga nodded back. “Mn. I see, you’re worried how the Guardians will respond if we show weakness.”

I relaxed a bit. “Got it in one, Momo. I know we aren’t actually gods, but to them we are. We created them, after all.” I do not want to die here just because someone like Albedo thinks we lied to her! 

With a flash of his eyes he tilted his head. “But why did you drag me away like that?”

I hissed. “You used your role-playing voice! You don’t need to anymore, it sounds ridiculous now. I mean, it was ridiculous before, but-”

“But you said you liked that voice!”

I used to think his ‘intimidating king voice’ was adorable, he sounded cute! It was endearing, but now… “You don’t need to use that voice anymore, with your new voice you could say ‘I’m a purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings’ and still be intimidating!”

He looked a bit embarrassed, but it was hard to tell. He doesn’t have a face, after all. “I… I suppose you’re right.” He said quietly.

“You’re a dumbass Momo, but you’re my dumbass so it’s fine.” I smiled at him. “I hope I’m correct in assuming you wanted to test the guild weapon? Probably your own magic too?” 

Momonga nodded, getting closer and grabbing my hand, just holding it, an action that I felt meant more now that everything was… real. I suddenly noticed that he really towered over me, a solid two heads at least. “You should try some of your magic too.” He said before walking away.

We got Aura and Mare, as well as some golems, to help put some striking dummies up, two sets on different sides of the arena. The twins were helping Momonga so I was on my own.

Probably for the best. “{Altered State}.” I knew my magic attacks worked, and I was fairly certain I could pull them off again without issue. All that left was my specialization skills.

In Yggdrasil, certain classes, under unknown specific conditions, could temporarily evolve into a different version of said class. Specialization classes could only have three to five abilities, could only be used for half an hour each day, and the conditions were random for each player, which made guides and the like useless. 

My main class was Holy Geisha (which is a stupid name for a magic summoner class), with a subclass of Fortuneteller for those sweet, sweet rare item drop rate buffs, for items both in-game as well as in the cash shop. These factors, along with my stat allocation and karma rating, granted me, at level 89, the Silent Death specialization class. 

The Silent Death class is a physical-attack based class with three assassination skills and one passive ability. The passive ability was what I was focusing on now, as it buffed my speed by 300%. In the game, the system negated any symptoms that might be caused by the ability, such as vertigo. The test here will be to see if that still applies.

With my fan folded, I drew a circle of magic above my head. “In darkness blooms the spider lily.” In an instant, the world slowed to a crawl around me, though I was aware that time had not altered. I ran at a target, my legs stable under me despite the large okobo sandals on my feet, the little bells within the shoes jingling softly within. 

As I neared my target I lazily slid the hairpin out of the mess of snakes, the ‘hairpin’ being the World Item  **{The Golden Needle}** . In what seemed like an instant I was behind the group of dummies, “ **{Death By Ten Thousand Cuts]** .”

Just like that, the dummies were shredded.


	4. Allegiance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if you guys can tell, but I don't have a beta. I don't actually know how I'd go about getting one, and I'm sure as hell not letting people I know irl know that I write fanfiction. Soooorry!
> 
> Edited 11/7/19 - Grammar, spelling, overall clean-up.

All the striking dummies were destroyed, and all my tests complete, good thing too, my time is just about up.

“That was incredible, Lady Nemesis!” Aura cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

“Amazing…” Mare smiled, clapping quietly.

“Just a minute!” I called back, counting the seconds until my specialization wore off. It was strange, not being able to see my stats and cooldowns but still knowing. All I had to do was focus on the concept.

As I approached Momonga and the twins, I noticed he had pulled, out of nowhere, a pitcher of water and two glasses for the twins to drink from. Did he just pull that from inventory?! 

“Ah, Nemu, you’re done, would you like some water too?” Momonga asked, lifting the pitcher to me.

“No, thank you, my King,” I said, covering my face with my fan once more. “I’m not the least bit winded, so there’s no need,” I said, coming to stand beside him.

I wish I could tell what he was feeling, it’s almost impossible, he doesn’t have a face, and emotes aren’t a thing in reality.

That’s what this is, right? Reality?

“Oh? It seems I’m the first to arrive…” A childish voice said, my eyes snapping to the source. Shalltear, Peroroncino’s daughter. She is a True Vampire, and Guardian of the First to Third Floors.

Shalltear gasped, face flush, and cried, “Oh, wow, Lord Momonga! My eternal beloved!” She threw herself at him. Oh, yeah, ha, Peroroncino gave her a necro fetish, didn’t he? Sick bastard. 

“My, my, should I be worried, my King?” I questioned with a grin, flicking my fan. 

Shalltear gasped again, this time in mortification. “Lady Nemesis! I-I beg your forgiveness, I should control myself! Lord Momonga is your Divine Lord Husband, after all. Please, forgive me!” She begged, her face a deep red. I laughed.

“Oh, Shalltear, sweetling, don’t fret, I don’t mind sharing!” I cackled. “Just be gentle with him,” I told her. Her face lit up and with a squeal, she was upon him once again. Ah, sweet vengeance.

“Shalltear, stop! Just because you have permission from Lady Nemesis doesn’t mean you should make a mess, look, you’re drooling all over Lord Momonga! Show some respect.” Aura snapped, riling Shalltear with practiced ease.

Shalltear faltered for only a moment, and then, “Hello, Half-Pint, I didn't realize you were there.” She hissed. Ay, a catfight, I like watching those. “Having a fool for an older sister must be difficult, Mare, I don’t know how you manage.”

Except for the fact that this catfight is between children, and my caregiver instincts do not _ like it _ . “Aura, Shalltear, my dears, I do think that’s quite  _ enough _ .” Plus the back and forth bickering was bound to give me a headache.

“I agree! How shameful it is that the two of you are acting like children in front of the Master and Mistress, to the point where Lady Nemesis Herself must intervene, how disgraceful!” Cocytus declared, disgusted, as he arrived.

Instantly, Aura, Mare, and Shalltear stood straighter. Looks of shame graced Aura and Shalltear’s faces, they looked devastated.

I sigh, feeling a headache coming on anyways. “Now, now, no need for that, my darlings, just have a little more self-control, yes?” Who would have thought six years of working in childcare would give me skills I’d use on the overpowered monsters my friends made?

Momonga spoke up, grabbing everyone’s attention, “I’m glad you’re here, Cocytus.” he said.

“Of course, I will always come!” Cocytus declared loudly to the arena. “Should either you or your Divine Lady call for me I shall always come, as swiftly and surely as a slash of my sword.” He continued loudly. 

He acts exactly Like Warrior, his father, it’s kind of funny.

“I apologize for the wait, everyone,” Demiurge said, arriving with Albedo. Demiurge, Ulbert’s son and the powerful protector of the Seventh Floor… Ulbert put great care into creating Demiurge, in fact, he’s one of the most intelligent NPC’s in all of Nazarick. He… might be a threat.

Albedo came forth, placing herself at the head of the group. “My Lady, I’ve done as you asked. Victim sends its regards, and I’m sure Gargantuan would do the same, that said, I have been granted the authority to speak on their behalf.” Albedo lowered herself to kneel before Momonga and me, the rest of the Guardians following her example. “My Lady Nemesis. My Lord Momonga. We, the Floor Guardians of the Great Tomb of Nazarick, pledge ourselves to you.” She declared. The atmosphere was thick with anticipation, and Momonga started leaking that dreadful aura of his. What does that even mean? Was he nervous? Scared? Pleased?! It doesn’t matter, I suppose. 

Flicking my fan open, I covered my smiling face and pressed myself into Momonga’s side, grabbing onto his arm. “My, what conviction! I’m so pleased with your loyalty.” I said, then looking up into Momonga’s face and clutching his arm tighter. “What do you think, my King?” Do not fuck this up! I don’t want to die here!

After a moment's hesitation, he spoke. “Raise your heads.” He commanded, more dark aura seeping off him. “I, too, am very pleased that all of you have come.” 

“Your praise is wasted on us, truly.” Albedo replied, a sad smile on her face. “I fear that you will come to find us lacking. Despite this, I swear, we will strive to exceed your expectations in honor of the lost Supreme Beings, our Blessed Creators… This we vow!”

“This we vow!” The other Guardians echoed, heads lowered.

I could have cried. Instead, I kept it inside and simply smiled, though the snakes on my head writhed excitedly about.

“Most excellent, my Guardians!” Momonga told them. ”We have no doubt that you will fulfill your duties without hesitation or fail.” He said. I have to wonder once again, how he is so calm and collected about all this? I was certain I was visibly shaking from the nerves…

Nevertheless, Momonga’s response was well-received, the atmosphere instantly brightened and the Guardians smiled in relief.

“Now then, the situation outside the Great Tomb of Nazarick is unknown to us. With this in mind, I’ve had Sebas survey the surrounding area…” He said, looking over to a now-present Sebas. It was kind of weird how he was just lurking in the corner, waiting to be called on, but whatever, you know?

“My Lord, my Lady.” Sebas bowed to us as he came forward. “Following your orders, I explored the area surrounding the Great Tomb of Nazarick. True to your suspicions, the swamps that once surrounded the Great Tomb of Nazarick are nowhere to be found. Furthermore, I could not confirm a single building within a kilometer radius of our position.”

“So, we’re isolated, then.” I hummed in thought. “Probably for the best.”

“Agreed,” Momonga said before turning to Sebas. “Good work, Sebas. I knew you would serve me well.”

After a moment of thought, Momonga looked to the Floor Guardians. “Albedo, Demiurge. As the two highest-ranking Guardians, I have a task for you.” He said, and the two looked up expectantly. “Fortify our defenses and our information gathering networks. The rest of you should follow their lead.” 

Momonga has it right, we need better defenses and we need more information… Currently, I can’t help much with networking or fortification, but… 

“While you’re all busy with that, Mare and I will camouflage the Great Tomb of Nazarick. Fortification is just common sense, but why invite trouble, hm? I’m of the mind that we should not be discovered in the first place.” I explained. I wasn’t going to be completely shown up by Momonga, after all.

“Oh, my Lady! Brilliant! Just what you’d expect from a Supreme Being!” Albedo praised, a blush across her face.

“Yes, good thinking, my Queen. I’ll leave that to you then.” Momonga agreed readily. Good thing, too, I’m too tired to argue. “Lastly,” Momonga said. “I have a question I would have each of you answer.”

“First, Shalltear. In your own words, tell us what kind of people Nemesis and I are to you.” Momonga ordered, red eyes flashing with interest. That’s a really good question to ask, Momonga…

“Of course. You, my Lord, are a perfect being, beautiful and without flaw.” She said, her face flush and shivering with pleasure. Yikes. “And you, my Lady Nemesis, there is not a kinder being in existence, not one as patient and loving.”

“Cocytus.”

“My Lord and His Divine Lady… You possess strength beyond that of any Guardian, both in equal measures, truly, you are both worthy of ruling over the Great Tomb of Nazarick, absolutely and without question.” He volunteers instantly, certain in himself and us.

“Aura.”

With a smile, she lifted her head to speak. “Ah! My Lord is compassionate and you’re always three steps ahead of the game. My Lady, too, is a very kind ruler, with a firm hand, she treats everyone equally.”

“Mare.”

“You are a leader who is kind as well as merciful.” He said softly, his bangs covering his eyes. “And my Lady is… patient and encouraging, even to those who don’t deserve her attention.”

“Demiurge.”

“A wise ruler, who makes calculated decisions and then executed them without hesitation. Also, your enigmatic nature makes it nigh impossible to predict you.” Demiurge explained eagerly. “As for you, my Lady, you are ruler whose subjects can feel at ease around, one whose foresight is far-reaching and in turn plans accordingly.”

“Sebas.”

“You, as well as Lady Nemesis, were the heads of all the Supreme Beings, the ones who created us, and even though they have gone and left us behind, the two of you alone remained behind with us until the very end.”

“Lastly, Albedo.”

“Together, you are the highest-ranking of all the Supreme Beings, our ultimate masters and the rulers of Nazarick. My Lord, you are just and swift in your judgement, a true leader. And you, my Lady… you are the most beautiful and graceful of all the Supreme Beings, and the woman to whom my heart belongs!” She said, her eyes glazed as she stared into my soul. 

I knew it! Momonga did this! He put my name instead of his own when he changed her settings! That’s it, he’s dead.

“Wonderful!” Momonga declared, oblivious to his impending doom. “We have heard your thoughts and have given you our orders, now, go forth and work faithfully in our names!” 

We teleported away an instant later.


	5. Weight of the World

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/7/19 - Grammar, spelling, overall clean-up.

“Momo, what are we even doing?” I asked him when we arrived in the deserted hallway. 

He stared at me for a moment, before focusing on something else. “Would you really go back?” He asked softly.

For the first time, I really thought about it. Aside from my appearance, and my anxiety from the sudden situation, this wasn’t so bad. As far as I could tell, we have a veritable army of powerful, loyal allies, we were powerful ourselves, even. 

I thought about it. I can get used to looking like this, right? It’s not like I was what you would call pretty before anyways, and this body isn’t... dying. My family… Everyone else is gone, only mom was left and she… mom will be going to join them soon, anyways. If it was her in my shoes and she’d come back just for me… I’d punch her.

I shook my head, “No, I wouldn’t. You’re right, it’s better this way, I’m just… nervous.” I told him, shuffling.

He placed a bony hand on my shoulder. “Take your time, but don’t take too long. You have work to do, as do I.” He said, guiding me down the hall. “For now, let us retire to our rooms to rest, my Queen.” He said, offering his arm theatrically. I laughed.

“Of course, my King, lead the way.”

* * *

The large, spacious room was more or less the way I left it, I found, when I turned the lights on. I sighed, slumping down at the vanity. The mirror showed me a beautiful face, elegant, perfect proportions, with the bluest eyes. It was almost… too perfect. Really, I would have been gorgeous, if I wasn’t a monster. If my eyes wouldn’t have been vertical and my hair not alive.

I looked at the mirror instead. In the game, I could have used this mirror to change my make-up and hair… I wonder if it still does. Lifting my index finger, I drew a circle on the glass, the mirror squeaking with the friction.

The mirror rippled and-

**BAM!**

The door closest to me flew open, slamming against the wall like it’s been kicked in. I threw myself to the other side of the room, darting behind my bed.

“Princess Oizys! Princess Eris! I told you, you must remain in your room until your royal mother returns! No exploring!” Hakurou, my own creation in the form of a humanoid fox, emerged from what was supposed to be his room. Not that he ever used it, because, you know, he was an NPC! What the hell was he even doing here?! He was supposed to be on Floor Seven!

The door next to Hakurou opened quietly, and a small, very unhappy scaled face popped out. “Hey, Hakurou. Shut. Up. I just got Eris to sleep, you’re going to wake her up!” She hissed, the little red copperheads on her head hissing angrily with her.

“Princess Oizys? Then who..?” I heard Hakurou ask no one in specific. I was not about to be found hiding behind my bed like a graceless coward. I crawled up to the dresser beside my bed, sitting up in a seiza position and opened a drawer quietly. I breathed in relief to find it wasn’t empty, but full with different style hair ornaments.

“I was probably me, Hakurou. No need for alarm.” I said casually, wanting to laugh hysterically.

“Your Grace?!” Hakurou gasped, falling on his knees in a deep bow.

“Mother?” Oizys asked quietly in shock. “You… stayed?” She said in bewilderment. I wondered what she meant by that. Did that mean all the NPCs knew Yggdrasil was shutting down?

But that’s not important right now. 

I looked at Oizys, she was a small thing, supposed to be about ten years old, with big green eyes and bright red copperheads for hair. I was tired of playing ‘Queen’, and I was more than tired of being afraid. I just wanted a break, but here I am with more NPCs, except these ones were supposed to be  _ mine _ . In the end, I decided that I wouldn’t be afraid of these ones, they were  _ mine _ , I was going to act like it. 

Besides, half a decade in childcare has trained me for this moment!

I closed the drawer and stood up, my legs surprisingly sturdy beneath me, and walked to her. “It’s late, don’t you think? Come, let’s get you to bed.” I told her, gently guiding her into her room. Eris was already asleep, surrounded by several stuffed animals that I’d made to decorate her space. Oizys didn’t have nearly as many, only one stuffed bat, actually.

“Let’s tuck you in.” I pulled the covers back for her and she climbed in.

“Why are you still here? You… you left, I saw it.” She whispered, not looking at me. I thought about what she could possibly mean by that, she ‘saw’ it?

Then I remembered the subclass, the one I decided everyone in my ‘family’ would have, the Fortuneteller subclass. There’s no way… It’s only function was to increase drop rates of unique items!

A thought for another time, I decided, I’m far too tired to contemplate what this could mean... “We’ll talk about that in the morning, okay? Right now I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. I promise.” 

“You mean it?” She asked quietly. 

“Of course, I do. And in the morning we can all go get breakfast, alright?” I kissed her on her gently on the forehead. “Goodnight, Oizys.”

“Night, Mama.” She whispered back. 

Quickly, I turned to Eris, asleep in her bed and kissed her on the cheek, causing her to shift in her sleep. At the door, I looked around the room and determined that, even with the fake moonlight filtering in from the false windows, the light in the room wasn’t enough for Oizys’ fear of the dark.

I was a doting mother now, I have to think of these things now.

So I spoke, “ **{Triple Illumination}** .” From my palm erupted three soft lights, their colors lazily changing. Normally, the spell is meant to strongly illuminate the surrounding area and circle your camp, making it difficult for enemies to sneak up on you. This time, I imagine the lights softer and colorful, and it actually worked…

I sighed softly and closed the door as the lights began floating about the room. I’d always wanted children... before. But between the accident that took my father and sisters away, and our company being bought out from under us, there just… wasn’t any time to find someone, or to consider raising a child on my own.

Now I’m stuck in a strange land in a strange body with two little girls to look after. I pinched the bridge of my nose.

“My Queen?” Hakurou asked. He had been standing at the door, guarding it.

“Ah. Hakurou. Why are you here? You were supposed to be guarding Floor Seven with Demiurge and his people.” I recalled tiredly. I wasn’t mad, of course, not that I had the energy to be anyways, but I was curious.

“Lord Demiurge gave me leave to return here to await your arrival. I am your sworn protector and loyal vassal, after all.” He said, standing at attention. “It’s a good thing I returned when I did, princess Oizys was in the middle of destroying your quarters when I arrived.”

“Excuse me?”

He was quick to explain. “She was very distraught, apparently she was under the impression that you had gone, it took me quite some time to calm her, Princess Eris, too. I then, of course, put your room to rights as best I could.”

I hummed, exhausted. “You did a good job, I didn’t even notice.” I turned towards the bed, a giant overstuffed thing, intending to just fall in it and never get up again.

“Your Grace, there’s something I’d like to say,” Hakurou said forcefully, startling me. I looked at him, tired and questioning.

“My Queen,” Hakurou said, dropping to a knee. “I fear I no longer recall our lost homeland, nor do I recall your illustrious parents, whom I know I served faithfully for many years.” What was he talking about?

Unaware of my confusion, Hakurou continued on. “Despite my shortcomings in this, I swear to uphold my duties as your last surviving knight and retainer. I swear, forever and always, to be unwavering in my loyalty to you and your children, until the end of my days.” Ah, that’s right. His backstory... My backstory. 

Back when I first started playing Yggdrasil, my father and two sisters hadn’t even been in the ground six months when our company’s leading competitor bought us out. They kicked us when we were down, and I was angry. I immortalized the situation, in a way, when I created my character’s backstory and, later, the backstory of my NPCs. I, princess Seishin, and my two daughters, princesses Kiyo and Airi, along with one loyal vassal, fled our homeland as it was conquered and destroyed by barbarians, the four of us being the sole survivors or something.

But it wasn’t real.

Still, it’s my reality now. “Do you really mean that?” I said softly. Hakurou’s eyes snapped to mine.

“Of course I do!”

“You’re a member of Ainz Ooal Gown’s defensive forces. If I told you to betray them, would you?”

“For you? Without hesitation. I am loyal to you before anyone else, even your royal husband.” He said that last part with an edge and I wondered at that.

I chuckled lowly. “I see. Please, rise Hakurou. I accept your words with great joy.” I said lightly, reluctantly slipping once again into the role of ‘Queen’ once again.

He dipped his head down further. “Thank you, my Queen,” Hakurou says, pulling himself to his feet. 

“You may go, Hakurou, get some rest, I will speak with you in the morning.” I dismiss him, tired beyond belief.

“Yes, my Queen. May your rest be peaceful.” He bows low before retiring to his room.

A second of thought has me calling to him, “Oh, and Hakurou?” I said, to which he paused, looking at me. 

“Thank you.”


	6. A Calm Before the Storm?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edited 11/7/19 - Grammar, spelling, overall clean-up.

In the three days that I’ve been in the world, I haven’t seen Momonga eat or sleep. Then again, he’s not human anymore, hell, he isn’t even alive anymore. That has to be bothering him, I know my new body bothers me more often than I care to admit.

This is why, when I can, I revert to my ‘lesser’ state, as a certain Overseer once called it. Gorgons are one of the few races that allow for transformation. When I first started out, I looked human, but as I leveled I ‘evolved’ into the snake-haired monstrosity I am now.

But, with a bit of concentration, and a small sacrifice in the skills I can use, I can change myself back into a human indefinitely. Unfortunately, as a pseudo-human my magic is significantly restricted, so I’m stuck to magically created knives and swords if I want to fight in this form. I don’t mind one bit.

“Yes, Mare, that’s it! Just like that!” I instructed from my perch atop a still-standing pillar, my now strawberry blonde,  _ normal  _ hair flowing in the night breeze. I had finished my work of applying glamorous to the outside of the Tomb and was now instructing Mare in the last bits of camouflage.

Not that he needed it, he was more than capable on his own. “Yes, Lady Nemesis!” He called back as another wave of dirt and grass rose up to the walls of the Tomb. The whole hill thing had been Momonga’s idea, a brilliant one at that. I wonder why he acts like an idiot so often, he really isn’t…

A strong gust caught me off guard and almost sent me tumbling to the ground, but I resisted, leaning into the wind as I tried to keep my hair in place.

Looking up, the sky was covered in glinting lights, stars. I have never seen so many before, hell, I hardly ever seen the sun. Our world had been dying, it might have already been dead, and no one cared. It was just one day to the next, that’s all that mattered, but here… everything was beautiful.

And the air was clean. What a novelty.

“Lady Nemesis, look.” Mare caught my attention, pointing to the sky. I looked up and there, far up in the sky, was Momonga clad in armor. Demiurge was with him. 

I still don’t trust the Archdevil, he’s far smarter than I, for one, and if he’s anything like his crazy creator, my good friend Ulbert, then he’s a manipulator of epic proportions too. I wonder what they’re talking about.

“Lady Nemesis, are you going to talk to them?” Mare questioned, a confused look on his face.

“Mm, no,” I said. “I spoke to Momonga this afternoon, and I don’t have anything new to say,” I told him honestly. Mare looked shocked, just shocked.

“W-what? But… but isn’t Lord Momonga you’re husband? Don’t you want to know what he’s doing?” It was a very strange thing to come out of Mare’s mouth. I stared him down.

“No? He’s a big boy, he knows what he’s doing. Just because we’re married doesn’t mean we need to be down each other’s throats about everything.” I said and he shuffled around nervously. 

“Mare… is there something you want to tell me?” I asked lowly.

“N-n-no! No, of course not! Uh, I’m going to get back to work now!” He said, sprinting off to go gather more dirt for the Tomb.

Well if that wasn’t super suspicious.

“Ah, Nemu,” Momonga said from behind me, scaring at least three years off my life.

“You bitch!” I said on reflex, trying to elbow him in the face. I missed and he laughed.

“Sorry! Sorry. It seems that whatever you said to Mare had him running for the hills, nice job by the way. Anyways, I wanted to reward him for all his hard work, what do you think about giving him a {Ring of Ainz Ooal Gown} as a reward?” Momonga asked, still in the strange armor. To be fair, I’m not exactly wearing my usual attire either.

“It’s practical, and I think he’s earned it. Yeah, it’s a good idea.” I said casually as Momonga sat down next to me on the pillar. It barely fit us both, but it did.

Momonga removed his helmet, revealing his skinless face. “You seem a lot more relaxed. How are you feeling?” He asked me quietly, Demiurge was still lurking, after all.

“Honestly? I feel great like this. My… other form was really bothering me I guess. But I’m far more interested in hearing how you feel.” I said, staring into his red orbish eyes.

He coughed, scratching at the back of his skull, sheepish. “It’s very weird, but not upsetting. I’m not alarmed by my appearance at all. That's the only part of this that’s upsetting about all this.” He explained.

I felt hopeless at the news. “Anything else?” I asked him. He paused thinking about it. 

“Yes, actually.” He nodded. “Whenever I get worked up or embarrassed, it’s like something is forcing me to calm down, like some kind of emotional moderator.” His admission made me freeze.

“That’s… not good.” I said slowly, finally.

“Yeah.” Was all he said in return. It explains why he wasn’t as freaked out as I was when we first got here. It’s a good thing, in a way, one of us needed to be level headed. But this could cause major problems later.

Finally, Mare returned with a heap of dirt and grass right behind him. With that, it seems the camouflaging of the Great Tomb of Nazarick is complete.

Momonga replaced his helm, then picked me up, causing me to start. “What- Oh, no!” He jumped and my scream died in my throat. That’s it, I’m really gonna kill him!

“Mare!” Momonga called, setting me down as I huffed in several breathes. “You’ve done a fine job, disguising the Tomb like this.” He declared loudly. Mare flinched a little and blushed heavily. I didn’t like it when he flinched.

“Good job, Mare.” I praised him gently. “In fact, it was such a good job that we have a reward for you,” I told him cheerfully, elbowing Momonga in the side.

“Yes.” He said, holding out his hand, a red jeweled ring rested there in his palm. “Your performance thus has been exemplary, therefore this is for you, wear it with pride and continue to work faithfully in our name!” When did Momonga become so flashy? He was never like this with the others… Then again, these aren’t our equals, as much as I wish they were, they are simply ‘underlings’. At least, that’s what Albedo claimed. I’d take Tabula over Albedo any day of the week, though, even if I do swing that way.

Mare looked frazzled. “B-but I can’t wear that! That ring is only for Supreme Beings... I haven’t done anything amazing enough to have earned something like this, please, I can’t possibly accept!”

I laughed. “Nonsense, you’ve terraformed the whole area, and all for the sake of Ainz Ooal Gown, you definitely deserve it, Mare. Pride is a sin, but one must always take pride in their work or else your production quality starts going down, and that’s a fact.” I lectured.

“Please take the ring, Mare,” Momonga said, holding it out for him. Meekly, Mare took the ring and examines it before deftly slipping it on his finger.

“Thank you!” He bowed with a blush on his face. I’m getting sick of all this bowing and respect, it almost feels like they’re mocking us…

“I know why Lady Nemesis is dressed like she is but… why are you dressed like that, Lord Momonga?” Mare asked suddenly, boldly for him, even.

“Isn’t it obvious, Mare?” Albedo’s sickly sweet voice said, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“You know what? It’s late, like really late, I need to go tuck the girls in, I’ll talk to you tomorrow! Bye!” I rushed out, quickly teleporting away.

I reappeared in my room and crumpled to the floor.

“Your Grace?!”

“Mama?” Eris asked from her spot on my bed. I made the mistake of letting her sleep in my bed with me last night and now she thinks it’s her bed.

“Oh god, why is she so terrifying?” I said to myself quietly, and then huffing, “I’m fine.” I said. “Just exhausted, Mare and I worked very hard today,” I said, pulling myself to my feet and untying my hakama, not really caring about my company.

“My Queen, allow me to assist you in getting undressed!” He requested. I raised an eyebrow, continuing to undress. It’s true I needed help with the overly fancy, many-layered kimono I normally wear but taking off hakama? Don’t insult me.

“My, how bold of you Hakurou, you know I’m married.” I joked. Hakurou looked absolutely scandalized.

“T-that’s not what I meant, Your Grace, I swear! Forgive me!” He begged. I snorted.

“Hak, I was joking. It’s fine. And, no, I can undress myself, this isn’t nearly as complicated as my other outfit. Thanks, though.” I said, stripping off the hakama, leaving just the yukata beneath. I tossed them onto my bed before picking Eris up out of it.

“But mama! I want to sleep with you.” She cried, breaking my heart. Not. I can’t sleep with boney knees jammed into my side.

“No can do, Sweetness, you’re a violent sleeper and I have bruises all up my side. You’re a big girl, you can sleep in your own bed.” I told her, not allowing for any argument. I love being a mother, though, truly. Especially when they call me ‘mama’.

Yes, they’ve picked up on that and are unrepentant manipulators.

“But… but!” She pouted as we entered her and her sister’s room. Oizys was in her bed already, drawing by wisp light.

“Hello, mama, are you done with work now?” She asked tiredly, yawning.

“Mhm.” I hummed. “So tomorrow we can spend some time together.” Oizys smiled at that.

“I can’t wait. Eris stop pouting, it won’t work.” Oizys said, slipping her sketchbook and pencils into her nightstand and laying down.

The small white pythons that were Eris’ hair writhe about, upset. “It might!” She shot back, even as I tucked her in.

“It might.” I agreed. “It won't, but it might. Sweet dreams. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Her face turned red and her hair started hissing. “ **I DON’T WANNA-!** ”

“ **{Sleep}** .” I cast the sleeping spell, and Eris’ screams died down to nothing. Ah, the friggin wonders of magic. 

“Thank the gods,” Oizys said from her bed as I kissed her sister goodnight.

“At least I have one reasonable child,” I said, kissing her goodnight as well.

“I’m your favorite.”

“I love you both equally. That’s my only job, that, and keeping you two alive to adulthood.” I said. “ **{Triple Illumination}** .” I cast, wishing her goodnight.

I closed the door and sighed, leaning on it.

“My Queen?” Hakurou asked as he stood guard once again.

“Stop calling me that,” I told him, much to his shock. “Everyone else showers me with respect, I don’t need it. I’m not a queen here, I’ve never really been a queen. Hearing ‘My Lady’ or ‘My Queen’ all the time is exhausting.” I snapped, bitter.

“Then… what would you have me call you?” He asked hesitantly.

“I don’t know! Anything, call me Nemu for all I care.” I hissed, stomping to my bed.

“I could never call you something so casual!” Hakurou said, scandalized. I sighed, it was so easy to scandalize this man…

“Fine… Call me Seishin, then.” I commanded, tired.

“Lady Seishin, then-”

“Ah! No! No Lady! Just Seishin. Don’t make me make that an order Hakurou.” Hakurou seemed to have an existential crisis for a few moments before he slumped in defeat.

“If that is what you wish…” He said slowly.

“It is.” I was firm, staring him in the eyes.

“Very well, Seishin. Are there any orders you wish for me to fulfill before I retire?” He asked. I thought about it.

“Mm, yes I do, actually. Though it’s not just a one-day thing…” I trailed off, reconsidering.

“It would bring my heart great joy to fulfill any wish you have, Your- ah, Seishin.” Hakurou declared proudly.

“In that case,” I said, slipping my tabi off. “I have a vital task for you Hakurou.” I looked deep into his eyes as he held his breath.

“Keep Albedo the Overseer away from me.”


	7. The Storm

“The maids went out of their way to make all this food, Eris, you should eat your eggs,” Oizys said, nibbling on a piece of bacon.

“I don’t like eggs!” Eris screeched, face red and snakes angry as she threw scrambled eggs across the table.

“** _Eris tel Nazarick._ **” I snapped, my snakes writhing and spitting angrily. At my words, everyone froze, from the children to the homunculus maids serving us.

“S-sorry, mama,” Eris said softly, thoroughly subdued.

“I accept your apology so long as you never act like that at the table again,” I told her sternly as I rubbed a headache away. It isn’t even nine yet and already she’s being a handful.

“Yes, mama, I won’t do it again.” She said, tears in her eyes, her snakes completely flat and still against her head.

“Good. Now, you need to apologize to Miss Beatrice and Miss Alice also, they’re the ones who have to clean up the messes you make, after all.” I said, shocking the two Homonculus Maids serving us breakfast.

“Lady Nemesis! That isn’t necessary! It’s is our purpose and pleasure to clean up after the Supreme Beings, and since you created the two Little Mistresses to be your children, that applies to them as well. Please, the Little Mistress doesn’t need to apologize to us.” Beatrice insisted hurriedly.

“Nonsense. She made the mess on purpose. What I should do is make her clean it up herself, if I’m being honest.” I told her. A horrified look crossed the maid’s face. I held up a hand. “But I know that would only upset you. So! She needs to apologize, “ I said, turning to the child in question. “Now.”

Eris looked like she wanted to argue more, but thought better of it last second and turned to the two maids and apologized, “I’m sorry I made a mess, I won’t do it again…” She said sulkily, eyes wet and face still slightly red.

When she glanced at me I just smiled and nodded. The maids accepted the apology with hearts in their eyes before going about cleaning up the remnants of the egg massacre.

All was well until a knock at the door had me alert and sitting up straight. “Come in,” I called out. Sebas opened the door and stepped in. 

Sebas bowed respectfully. “My Lady, Lord Momonga requests your assistance with an important matter outside the Great Tomb of Nazarick.” He informed me.

“Oh?” Momonga knows that I wanted today to spend with the kids, form a real bond with them, he wouldn’t ask for me unless it was important, I knew that. “Where? What should I expect?” I said, standing.

Eris whined, “But mama! You said we were going to spend the day together!” She said, slamming her hands on the table. I noticed that Oizys was particularly absent from the conversation.

Looking to her, my eldest was silently playing with her food, her eyes firmly on her plate, not looking at me.

“I know, my darlings, but it’s very important and I won’t be gone all day. When I come back we can go play outside, okay? I’ll be back soon, I promise.” I told them both. Eris quieted down, her face scrunched up in displeasure, while Oizys continued to poke at her food.

I sighed, stepping away from the table.

“Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep.” My eldest said darkly, not looking up from her plate.

I blinked at her, “I will do my best to keep it, Oizys.” I said quietly, following Sebas out of the Breakfast Room.

“I do hope this truly is an urgent matter, Sebas, now I two upset children on my hands.” I started into him the moment the door was closed behind us. 

“It is, my Lady. Lord Momonga intends to make contact with the people that inhabit this world, he simply wished for you to be there with him when he does.” Sebas explained.

“And..?” I asked, waiting for the ‘bad’ part of the news.

“He requested that you come ready for battle, there is a… conflict occurring as we speak.” He informed me. I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.

“Of course there is.” I took a breath. “Where am I going?” I asked.

“You should be able to teleport to Lord Momonga’s side using your wedding ring, my Lady.” Sebas reminded me gently. Ah. Right.

“Right.” I sighed again. “Sebas, have the maids take the children to Hakurou so he can watch them.”

“As you say, my Lady.” Sebas bowed low.

I lifted the hand that wore the sparkling wedding ring that Momonga had given me almost a decade ago, and said, “**{Gate of Unholy Unions}**.”

Seeing Momonga interact with strangers from outside the Tomb of Nazarixk will help give me a feel of his mental state, now that he’s undead.

I just hope it isn’t too bad.

* * *

Stepping through the portal, I arrive in a forest clearing, there are two traumatized children, one of which is horribly injured, a dead man on the ground only a few feet from them, and there is Momonga, standing there like an idiot.

“Sorry for the delay, my King,” I say darkly, “I needed a moment to be brought up to speed,” I explained.

I turned to the children, both flinching away from me. Ouch. I smile instead kneeling down to their level. “Oh, you poor thing! You’re hurt, here…” I pulled a Minor Healing Potion from my inventory, handing it to the girl. “I know it looks horrifying but I promise it’s just a potion. It’ll pain the pain go away.”

“Oh…” The girl said, “Th-thank you.” She took the potion and downed it hesitantly. Shock spread across her face when she realized the pain was gone and looked back to find her injury nonexistent.

“See?” I said kindly, hoping that a little trust had grown between us.

“My wound… The pain is gone.” The girl said.

“Tell me.” Momonga started. “Have you ever heard of magic?”

The girl nods. “Yes, I have a friend who frequents our village.” She explained. “He’s a pharmacist who practices magic.” Momonga nodded at this information.

“Excellent, then I’m sure it’s not hard to understand. I am a Magic Caster, as is my wife.” He said, gesturing to me.

Hey, it’s true now.

He then layered a few protection barriers on the three of us and I stood to join him. “I’ve placed a few protection barriers on you, so you should be safe as long as you stay put.” He said, then tossing them a couple of cheap loot box items. “However, should you need to, blow on these horns, they will summon an army of goblins to do your bidding. Do not hesitate to use them.”

As we began to walk away, the older sister called out. “Wait! Can I… can I please have the name of the man who saved me?” She asked. I smiled to myself, flicking my fan to cover my gold-colored lips. 

“Hm, you should remember it well, and tell everyone of my power,” Momonga said, in a way I’ve never heard him speak before. He turned suddenly, and said, “I am Ainz Ooal Gown!” It was almost intimidating, in fact, if I was anyone else I would have been intimidated, but seeing as I’ve known this dumbass for so long, instead, I wanted to laugh. I didn’t.

Instead, I simply followed his lead as he swept away.

Somewhere along the way to the village, Momonga decided we needed disguises, something that made us look more human and less monster. I could have just become human, but who knows if I’m going to need that face for something more important? So instead I equipped a long black veil, the same veil I wore for our wedding, in fact. What can I say, it’s pretty.

And long enough to cover my snakes, and my wings if I tuck them in close enough, that’s the important part.

We took to the skies to make up for lost time when I suddenly realized that Momonga had equipped that stupid Christmas event mask. I snorted, grinning. 

Momonga, you dumbass.

Arriving at the village, the sight was… upsetting. The Death Knight had decimated the enemy ranks, and if there had been Yggdrasil players I would have been embarrassed for them.

But these were real people, I felt… sick… and kind of excited. That just made it worse. What is wrong with me?

“Stop, Death Knight!” Momonga ordered. “You’ve served me well.” In unison, we descended to the ground gracefully. “My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, this is my wife, Nemesis. It is a pleasure to meet all of you.” Momonga said, overly cordial. I flicked my fan open to cover another smile.

“Don’t worry about my Death Knight, no harm shall come to you now. Tell your supervi- I mean, _owner_ of my kindness. However, the next time you commit such heinous acts in this area, I will bring death to your entire kingdom.” He actually sounded serious. That was… alarming, but he’s just acting, right?

“Leave!” Momonga commanded harshly. “Make sure you speak my name to everyone!” As the words left his mouth the cowardly soldiers dropped their weapons and ran screaming.

“What vermin.” I hissed under my breath.

“P-pardon me, sir.” One of the villagers said. 

“Hm?” 

“Why did you come here?” The man asked. Really? That’s what you’re concerned about? I’d be more concerned with the Death Knight behind us if I were you!

“We could not standby and watch innocent people be murdered. Call it a… _moral_ obligation.” Momonga said. Well, at least he still has those, no matter how warped they might be.

“Be at ease,” Momonga said. “This village is under our protection.” Is it now? I wanted to smack myself in the forehead. We don’t even know where we are, we don’t even know **who **we are anymore, and this dipshit is offering his protection to random villages! I looked at him, hard. He’s smarter than this, I know he is, so why… 

Everything clicked, and I smiled. He’s after a foot in the door. “We don’t do this kind of work for free, though. We expect to be compensated.” I spoke up. “Now…” I said, snapping my fan shut.

“Let’s talk coin.”


	8. Author's Note - 1

So! If anyone cared, my best friend K got me TWO commissions done for the two versions of Nemesis that will appear in my story, they aren’t exact because I wasn’t 100% clear with K because I 1000% did not expect her to go off and get them drawn, but they’re close enough.

Honestly, I was kinda just gonna let this fic die (because I have commitment issues, but that’s a story for another time) but since K went and spent actual money on this I figured I better get my ass in gear and start writing. 

So y’all can blame K for this fic’s continual survival.

So here is Gorgon!Nemesis:

And here is Human!Nemesis:

The artist is the amazing and generous NightShadowCat, y’all can find her on the Book of Face.


	9. The Spark

In the end, what we really wanted was information though of course money didn’t hurt especially after being told that our money didn’t have value beyond the gold it was made of. 

Which, I mean is disappointing and all, but we still could have been called Lord and Lady Moneybags just for the fact that we have  **so much ** gold.

I digress.

The real kicker of this whole ordeal was the tale Momonga spun for these people, a hermit skilled in magic and his overly loyal wife who also happens to practice magic? They actually bought that! It’s a good thing, I suppose, but then again what choice do they have? Especially after Momonga grilled them for every bit of mundane information there is?

While he was busy with that, the two girls we encountered earlier found their way back to the village and, being the productive person that I am, I took it upon myself to use a bit off…  _ memory altering magics _ .

I figured, we went through all this trouble to conceal our monstrous selves, it would be incredibly unfortunate if they were to blab about it to the rest of the villagers.

Much later, the villagers held a very tearful burial rite for all of their lost friends and family. I stood next to Momonga, some distance away.

He fiddled with his {Staff of Resurection}, and it was good to know that he was at least thinking of it, which showed a level of compassion that I feared he had lost as an undead. I sighed.

“We… can’t do that, Momo. I’m sure you know that.” I said quietly from under my veil.

He hummed back at me, “Yes, I know. It would likely bring more questions and trouble than it’s worth. Still, the thought is there.” He confessed.

“That’s good, though. I was a worried that you’d lost yourself, you know? I’ve been… noticing things about myself that are concerning as well.” I told him softly, as the painful wails of the two girls reached my ears, making them ring.

My lips pulled and I felt annoyed, and then ashamed, case in point. They just lost both parents in the most traumatizing way possible, where’s your fucking compassion, Amani?

Things like that, feeling excited while watching other people be butchered by a monster… what’s wrong with me? I can only imagine how bad it is for Momonga, or maybe..? Maybe he feels nothing about it, maybe he can’t.

I’m so tired of this.

* * *

I sighed hard, pinching the bridge of my nose under my veil. The friggin’ sun was setting, a whole day went by, my girls are going to be  _ very  _ upset with me especially… Oizys.

“Hey, at least we can say we saved a whole village,” Momonga said tiredly from my side. “And learned… a lot. We have a lot to talk about.” He said.

I nodded. “Yeah, I’ll be by your room after I get my smackdown from hell from the kids. Oizys can be very destructive when she’s mad.”

“Oh.”

“Yup.”

He smacked the side of his head, “You were supposed to spend the day with them, I completely forgot.” He confessed sheepishly.

I snorted. “Don’t feel bad, I’m glad I was here for first contact. It’s just going to be next to impossible to explain that to the girls.” I jolted, realizing something. “You know you’re technically their dad, right?” I glared. “Take some responsibility and help me apologize!”

He backed away, waving his arms in front of him, “What?! No! No, I’m not! Don’t pull me into that mess!” He said, shaking his head.

I grinned darkly at him, eyes narrowing. “Oh, I think you are,  _ husband _ .” He froze.

“That,” he said, pointing a gloved finger at me. “Was when they were NPC’s. You tricked me!” I accused.

I laughed. “Come on, you ass. All you have to do is pop by and be like ‘Hey kids, sorry I stole your mom for the whole day and also, sorry I haven’t been by to see you yet, I’m horrible but I promise to fix that!’ or something.” I said, smacking him with my folded fan.

“This is abuse.” He muttered sullenly.  
“You know what you are? Dramatic.”

He gasped, pointing accusingly at me, “Don’t use my words against me!”

I grinned. “Dramatic~”

“You’re insufferable.” He said, but I was sure he was smiling.

I huffed. “And you’re a dumbass.”

“But I love you anyways,” We said in unison and I smiled bumping my body into his. I’m glad that I’m at least stuck here with my best friend, at least I have that.

“What are we going to do, Chief?” A man’s voice caught my attention. 

The Village Chief sighed, shaking his head. “I’m afraid I don’t have a plan.”

Momonga huffed annoyed, and I echoed the sentiment. “And the problems keep stacking.” He said. Walking up to the man in question, Momonga starts amicably, “Village Chief, is there something wrong here?”

A hopeful look settles on the man’s face “Lord Ainz, Lady Nemesis, thank goodness.” He sighed. “I have just been informed that there are more soldiers headed toward the village at breakneck speed.”

“Is that so?” Momonga said, thoughtful.

“I doubt this is the first village those men attacked, is it possible that these soldiers are on our side? Maybe they’re here to help.”

The Village Chief shook his head, “I very much doubt that, Lady Nemesis.” There was a sadness in his voice, and I knew it must have been born of many years of disappointment. It made me angry, surely there must be a noble somewhere in charge of this region, does he not care about his people?

Is it like this in other places?

Momonga lifted his hands in a calming motion. “Don’t worry, I can handle the situation either way. Please gather the remaining villagers around your house, when you’re done, meet me at the town square.” At his words, the villagers faces lit up with hope and joy. Are we the first to offer help to these people? Thay act like it.

“Yes, of course!” He said. And just like that, people were moving.

* * *

We stood at the center of the village, the three of us. The Village Chief had tried to get me to wait in the house with the other villagers, where I would be ‘safe’, I simply laughed and clung to Momonga’s arm.

The horde approached us, and I could see that their armor was different from the ones that came before, with one man in particular at the fore, his armor distinguishable from the others. He must be the one in charge.

He rode up to us, a severe look on his face. “I am the Chief Royal Warrior from the Re-Estize Kingdom, Gazef Stronoff.” He said, tone hard as stone. “The King has ordered me to hunt down the knights that have been attacking surrounding villages. Your people are safe now we will do all we can to protect you.”

A laugh escaped me and the man’s eyes snapped to me. “I’m afraid you’re a little to the party, Stronoff.” I said. “My husband has already dealt with your ‘knights’, the kind man he is,” I said, tone dangerous. “Though, I suspect that wasn’t the last we’ll have seen of them,” I said, my eyes drifting to the line of trees.

Gazef’s eyes widen in shock. “What?” He gasped, dismounting his horse and approaching Momonga. My eyes never left him. I suppose my issue isn’t with this man, rather the one he works for, this ‘king’, still I’m an equal opportunity antagonist. When I want to be.

But in the moment my little outburst was forgotten. “These people would have been lost without you,” Gazef said, his words making my skin itch. “Thank you, Sir Ainz.”

“General!” A soldier shouted, running up. “We’ve spotted a large army of unknown origins, they’re surrounding the village even as we speak.” The soldier said, grim.  
Ah, I love it when I’m right.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello Friends! Fyi comments (especially constructive criticism) and kudos give me life! Please, I need to know if I'm good I have no self-esteem TT^TT


End file.
